Diamond Jungle Malzahar - The Void's Legion [25.04]
Build Guide By Aqua Dragon
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323
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Malzahar Build Guide By Aqua Dragon
3,379,969
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Malzahar Build Guide By Aqua Dragon
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Recommended Items
Runes:
Inspiration
Sorcery
+8 Ability Haste
+2% Movement Speed
+10-180 Bonus Health
Spells:
Flash
Smite
Items
Ability Order
Void Shift (PASSIVE)
Malzahar Passive Ability
Threats & Synergies
Threats
Synergies
Extreme
Major
Even
Minor
Tiny
Show All
None
Low
Ok
Strong
Ideal
Extreme Threats
Ideal Synergies
Jarvan IV
Jarvan is particularly nasty, able to throw out all of their lockdown before the Silence or Suppression can usually stop them. They also have very early gank pressure combined with enough burst to annihilate any Malz without some armor items.
Cho'Gath
A prophet and a monster. Malz Silence -> Rupture -> Suppression -> Cho Silence is enough guaranteed CC to kill any lane opponent, not to mention easy to combo into each other.
Synergies
Ideal
Strong
Ok
Low
None
Cho'Gath
A prophet and a monster. Malz Silence -> Rupture -> Suppression -> Cho Silence is enough guaranteed CC to kill any lane opponent, not to mention easy to combo into each other.
Champion Build Guide
Howdy! I’m Aqua Dragon. I've been hovering in Diamond with Malzahar Jungle for multiple seasons now! In former seasons, I was an AD Jungle Malzahar main. I also play:
Also, check out these off-meta creations by community members!
Also, check out these off-meta creations by community members!
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Join our community of off-meta lovers!
Jung-ling
Malzahar Jungle is a more Voidling-centric playstyle that conjures an innumerable swarm of Voidlings to tank and kill monsters. This makes Malzahar Jungle particularly adept at fighting for objectives!
Pros
- Powerful objective taker; Voidlings tank very well.
- Nether Grasp makes ganking as easy as pressing R.
- Amazing build versatility allows teching into any composition.
- Can clear camps quickly without prioritizing damage.
- Call of the Void has 2-second AOE silences on a 3 second cooldown.
Beyond the Voidlings, Malzahar's teamfight impact is salient. Malzahar Jungle provides silences, slows (with Rylais), skillshot-blocks, vision scouting, and a suppress. Even without a high income, this utility-focused build is able to provide ample support to the team, easily shutting down fed carries.
Of course, no build is without weaknesses; Malzahar Jungle cannot reliably build raw damage, so it's not uncommon to have the lowest damage dealt to champions in the game, despite the enormous damage dealt to objectives. Further, the build has fairly weak ganks until
Nether Grasp is online.
Cons
- Must become adept at using Unsealed Spellbook.
- Weak ganker until level 6.
- Overexerting mana can limit jungling speed.
- Susceptible to multiple divers.
- Quicksilver Sash starts limiting ult targets.
Customizlings
Inspiration Primary
Unsealed SpellbookUnsealed Spellbook is always versatile and impactful, befitting a high utility jungler like Malzahar. Other keystones addressed further down. Check out the Stage of the Game section for information on how to effectively swap with Spellbook!
Magical FootwearMagical Footwear is difficult to go wrong with for a champ that doesn't buy boots super early. Hexflash is too conditionally useful, and not useful enough even then.
Biscuit DeliveryThe least bad option from the row. The two alternatives are somehow even more worthless, as a jungler.
Cosmic InsightGenerically useful, moreso than the more situational (but still useful) bonus from Approach Velocity. Both are reasonable choices.
Sorcery Secondary
TranscendenceTranscendence matches the goals of maximizing utility, and is the largest reason for going Sorcery secondary.
Manaflow BandManaflow Band is necessary so Malz can do their job without investing into a mana item. If a mana item was built, then Nimbus Cloak would be good.
-Shards
Ability Haste, Movement Speed, and Scaling HealthAbility haste for utility, movement speed for faster clears + better teamfights, and scaling health is better than flat in the jungle.
Rune? More Like Ruined
There are, of course, a number of other very tempting runes in the other trees. so why have I opted against using those?
I did experiment with all of these options to some degree, and the results are as follows:
Why Not Sorcery Primary?
All three keystones were found to be very mediocre.
Phase Rush couldn't be activated at useful times readily, while Summon Aery scarcely added any more damage since Malz spent so much time in the jungle.The slightly increased ult burst from
Arcane Comet didn't meaningfully impact any kills. Worse, the scaling on the rune is so bad, that by the time it starts being used against opponents, it has lost a lot of its value.Additionally, out of the runes in Sorcery, Malz only really heavily desires
Manaflow Band and Transcendence. The rest are just alright. We have a name for a rune tree that has only two desirable runes and mediocre keystones: Secondary Tree.
space
Why Not Domination?
Electrocute and Dark Harvest both might seem tempting, since alongside Cheap Shot and Ultimate Hunter, there seems promise for much more powerful, frequent all-in combos. However, testing revealed that while this burst was okay in the early game, it very rapidly fell off because Malz Jungle can't reliably prioritize damage.Additionally, in mid-late teamfights, both of the damaging runes get spread out across too many targets to do anything meaningful since Malzahar doesn't get the luxury of only bursting down one target usually.
The Domination tree is too damage-focused to appeal to the utility-minded Malzahar.
A Void Order
Early Skill Order
|
Lvl 1
Q
|
- |
→ |
- |
Lvl 2
W
|
- |
→ |
- |
Lvl 3
Q
|
- |
→ |
- |
Lvl 4
E
|
Call of the Void mathematically deals more DPS than Malefic Visions at level 3.
Max Order
|
Q
|
- |
> |
- |
E
|
- |
> |
- |
W
|
Call of the Void is maxed first because its silence scales with rank. Malefic Visions is maxed second because Void Swarm has the worst rank up in the gameMalefic always adds more DPS per rank than Void Swarm per rank.
2 extra Voidling damage per rank up is an insult.
(it's so bad, it makes me sad...)
Malzabilites
P - Void Shift
Malzahar periodically gets a shield that essentially negates one harmful effect.
Malzahar periodically gets a shield that essentially negates one harmful effect.
The cooldown restarts anytime Malzahar is hit with a harmful effect.
Minion damage won't consume the passive, but monster damage will.
While the passive is up, you can eat Honeyfruit without slowing down.
It's not technically a spell shield, meaning it doesn't cancel spells outright. A spell shield would cancel Lee Sin's Sonic Wave, but Void Shift only blocks the initial damage, not the sonic mark.
The cooldown substantially decreases with Malzahar's level.
Minion damage won't consume the passive, but monster damage will.
While the passive is up, you can eat Honeyfruit without slowing down.
It's not technically a spell shield, meaning it doesn't cancel spells outright. A spell shield would cancel Lee Sin's
Sonic Wave, but Void Shift only blocks the initial damage, not the sonic mark.The cooldown substantially decreases with Malzahar's level.
The duration of the silence scales with the spell's rank.
Refreshes the duration of Malefic Visions.
The spell provides vision, but the vision's width is thinner than the spell's actual width. Thus, be prudent with the cast location to secure vision.
Silenced targets are unable to use summoner spells, except for Smite. Silence is practically a hard CC against some champions, though not that impactful against others.
Has a surprisingly generous cast range, AOE, and damage linger.
Refreshes the duration of Malefic Visions.
The spell provides vision, but the vision's width is thinner than the spell's actual width. Thus, be prudent with the cast location to secure vision.
Silenced targets are unable to use summoner spells, except for
Smite. Silence is practically a hard CC against some champions, though not that impactful against others.Has a surprisingly generous cast range, AOE, and damage linger.
Q - Call of the Void
After a short delay, summon 2 portals which conjure a damaging line that can silence for up to 2 seconds.
After a short delay, summon 2 portals which conjure a damaging line that can silence for up to 2 seconds.
W - Void Swarm
Summon a Voidling next to Malzahar, plus another for each Gathering Swarm stack. Malzahar gains a Swarm stack after casting a spell (max 2).
Summon a Voidling next to Malzahar, plus another for each Gathering Swarm stack. Malzahar gains a Swarm stack after casting a spell (max 2).
There's lots of nuances to Voidling behavior. Check out this part of the guide for those.
There are a few thin walls that Voidlings can be summoned across. The most useful is the thin wall next to Blue / Red buff!
Voidlings have a short delay before they are interactable. Thus, while possible to block projectiles with Voidlings, it requires a preemptive summon.
Voidlings deal 50% damage to Epic monsters.
There are a few thin walls that Voidlings can be summoned across. The most useful is the thin wall next to Blue / Red buff!
Voidlings have a short delay before they are interactable. Thus, while possible to block projectiles with Voidlings, it requires a preemptive summon.
Voidlings deal 50% damage to Epic monsters.
Malzahar Jungle doesn't cast this often, except to get Swarm stacks for Void Swarm, to direct Voidlings toward a target, or to push a minion wave.
Provides a small bit of mana back each time it bounces. Useful with the Raptor camp, the Krug camp, and minion waves.
Voidlings deal 300% damage to minions (not monsters) afflicted by the visions. Also, the visions themselves execute minions below a certain threshold.
Void Swarm, to direct Voidlings toward a target, or to push a minion wave.Provides a small bit of mana back each time it bounces. Useful with the Raptor camp, the Krug camp, and minion waves.
Voidlings deal 300% damage to minions (not monsters) afflicted by the visions. Also, the visions themselves execute minions below a certain threshold.
E - Malefic Visions
Afflict a target with a vision, dealing damage every second. When a target with the vision dies, the vision bounces to a nearby enemy. Call of the Void, Nether Grasp, and bouncing refresh the duration.
Afflict a target with a vision, dealing damage every second. When a target with the vision dies, the vision bounces to a nearby enemy. Call of the Void, Nether Grasp, and bouncing refresh the duration.
R - Nether Grasp
Malzahar channels a beam of void energy, suppressing a target. Moving or casting will cancel the channel early.
Malzahar channels a beam of void energy, suppressing a target. Moving or casting will cancel the channel early.
Suppression is one of the strongest crowd control types in the game. Suppressed targets can't do anything, not even Smite!
When facing engage champions like Zac, cast Nether Grasp at them before they get into range. This will cause Malzahar to cast it the instant the target gets close!
The spell interrupts any movement the target was in the middle of. Great for stopping dashes, blastcone jumps, or engages. It also provides vision for the channel's duration.
When an enemy is particularly fed, keep an eye on their inventory to see if they bought Quicksilver Sash. If not, they will learn the price of tax evasion.
Smite!When facing engage champions like Zac, cast Nether Grasp at them before they get into range. This will cause Malzahar to cast it the instant the target gets close!
The spell interrupts any movement the target was in the middle of. Great for stopping dashes, blastcone jumps, or engages. It also provides vision for the channel's duration.
When an enemy is particularly fed, keep an eye on their inventory to see if they bought
Quicksilver Sash. If not, they will learn the price of tax evasion.Null Set
Create Item Set
Build Order
Oracles is useful for checking for invasive wards, preventing ambushes.
↓
Momentum
Note: Only build Imperial Mandate if you already built Rylais!
Support
Momentum
These items help take objectives and pressure the map
The movement speed is fantastic for quickly reaching objectives and for kiting enemies within the jungle.
Mosstomper Seedling is okay, though a little more durability doesn't win games as much as speed toward objectives. Scorchclaw Pup would be more promising if Malzahar's damage wasn't so ambient; the slow keeps triggering at useless times.
Malzahar litters the battlefield with spells which can rapidly apply slows to multiple targets. It's quite potent, though there may be situations where you may prefer rushing haste instead. It's good for peeling, chasing, confirming, backscratching; useful in any situation where ample slows matter (which is most).
One of the largest sources of Ability Haste in the game. Extra speed sweetens the deal, though that's more useful for Malz than for the team. A great choice if some critical silences can destroy specific enemies.
With Rylais, the Mandate mark triggers on every spell. Decent damage, cheap haste; it's hard to go wrong with picking up Mandate, unless you don't have Rylais. If you have Rylais already, a good all-around choice in most situations.
As long as Malz doesn't attack, the huge MS boost from Trailblazer stays on forever. This makes it useful for getting a huge surge of mobility and survivability. The speed for allies is a nice bonus, though not the main draw. Choose if you're having trouble staying in fights to do your job.
Malzahar Jungle's ambient damage is very low. Even after ample testing, with several iterations of items like
Liandry's Torment and Sorcerer's Shoes, I wasn't able to deal respectable damage. Hence, doubling down on the utility of Lucidity Boots is ideal, usually after 1 complete item. Naturally, upgrade to Crimson Lucidity if you get the chance!
Situational Items
These items are great when behind or when supporting fed allies
Given the utility-focused desires of Malzahar Jungle, it is perhaps no surprise that ability haste and vision is always going to be useful, especially for avoiding ambushes and flanks. A good general choice to scout out assassins and artillery champions.
Vision is good against artillery and ambush champions, like:
Lux Fiddlesticks Talon Elise Blitzcrank Vi
Lux Fiddlesticks Talon Elise Blitzcrank Vi
Though Malzahar Jungle's own damage is meager, they are still excellent at stacking this MR-shredding tool, which is great if your team has lots of magic damage. Choose if your team has significant magic damage to amplify, besides your own.
Straightforward. Grievous Wounds.
Helps keep further control of major objectives. Pop one in the very back of the Baron and Dragon pits to keep near-permanent vision of them. Great for vision when enemies are not pick-focused.
Not Recommended
Malzahar Jungle is not a damage carry.
I've tried various iterations. With Comet, with Sorcs, with Liandries, with Void Staff. There just isn't enough gold in the jungle to ramp up in damage in a meaningfully fast way, especially if trying to be objective-focused at the same time. The most promising option is
Blackfire Torch, because it adds jungle damage, but even that wasn't adding enough DPS to justify the cost.Additionally, the path to maximizing damage is largely mutually exclusive to maximizing utility, since the damage options don't provide much Ability Haste (and when they do, it's expensive). The camp-clear difference is not that significant whether going AP or utility.
I tried a multitude of test matches: unless atrociously fed (in which case, you can probably build anything and still win), the damage builds reflected a relative lack of damage being dealt to enemy champions, even over the course of extended games. In many cases, the supports were dealing as much damage as a fully-damage-built Malz Jungle!
The Lings of War
Understanding all the nuances about your Voidlings is critical to maximizing their potential. Their damage should not be underestimated.
Fun Voidling Facts!
- Voidlings always die in one hit to tower shots and champion autoattacks
- Malefic Visions makes Lings deal 300% damage to minions (not monsters)
- Voidlings deal 50% damage to Epic monsters
- Malzahar gains EXP from any targets Voidlings kill, regardless of distance
- Every rank-up, their damage increases by 2
- Every second rank-up, their duration increases by one second (8/8/9/9/10)
Voidlings will aggro anything close by, regardless of whether the target can see them or whether the camp has been aggroed (even when you're trying to hide in a bush...). They will chase until the target escapes their range or a closer target appears.
Voidlings will not chase targets they cannot see or that they lose vision of, through stealth or bush. However, if they are not currently chasing or attacking a target, they will waddle closer to Malzahar.
Voidlings are normally bloodthirsty, adorable, and mindless. However, you can exert some control over what they target.
Voidling Targeting Priority
- Targets hit by Nether Grasp
- The nearest Malefic Visions on a Champion
- The nearest Malefic Visions on a minion
- The nearest enemies next to the Voidlings
Enemies also have some targeting priorities. When a Voidling attacks a champion, nearby enemy minions will turn on that Voidling. Additionally, turrets will always prioritize the Voidlings over the minions, allowing the Lings to soak up to 3 turret turret shots per Swarm!
Lingering Effects
Voidlings have a weird mix of things that they do and don't apply. The comprehensive list of those things is as follows:
Voidlings Proc on Each Hit...
- Manaflow Band's mana bonus
- Rylai's Crystal Scepter and Serylda's Grudge's slow
- Imperial Mandate marks (with Rylai's Crystal Scepter)
- Cosmic Drive's speed boost
- Morellonomicon's Grievous Wounds
- Luden's Companion, Blackfire Torch, and Liandry's Torment
- Arcane Comet itself and the cooldown reduction on target hit
- Scorch's damage proc
- Dark Harvest procs
- Ravenous Hunter's omnivamp
- Taste of Blood's heal
- Riftmaker's stacks
- Mark of the Elder Dragon's burn damage
Voidlings proc once per Void Swarm...
Void Swarm...
Not per voidling!
- World Atlas's gold bonus passive
- Tear of the Goddess stacks
- Phase Rush stacks
- Electrocute stacks
- Eclipse stacks
Voidlings do not proc...
- Horizon Focus's vision and damage amplification
- Conqueror stacks
- Spear of Shojin's damage amplification stacks.
- Ravenous Hydra's AOE effect
- Black Cleaver (Voidlings only deal magical damage)
- Any On-hit effects ( Nashor's Tooth, Wit's End, Lich Bane, etc.)
space
The Path is Clear
Malzahar's voidlings tank camps quite well, meaning Malzahar has a healthy full clear regardless of what side you're on.
Because you want to rush for dragon right after the first clear, you should always start with the Buff that is furthest from dragon.
The First Clear
- Kill the Buff
furthest from Dragon with Smite
- Kill three camps.
- Kill the other Buff
- Kill the dragon pit Rift Scuttler. Only Smite if needed!
- Kill the last camp (with Smite, if able).
Malzahar clears the camps just in time to reach Scuttle as it spawns. Only
Smite the scuttle if necessary, but you can usually use your superior range to fight off the enemy jungler if they dare try to contest it. It's important that you secure the dragon pit scuttle, as it allows you a much easier time later going after the dragon.You'll get a
Total Biscuit of Everlasting Will while clearing. While tempting to save it, I usually just eat it immediately. It's better to be topped off and to have a little more maximum HP, in case of a potential invade, rather than trying to time it perfectly.
Keeping Swarm When Camping
The biggest takeways for effectively clearing camps:
Camp Clearing Tips
- Start a camp by casting Call of the Void at mid range.
- Hit every monster with Call of the Void with every cast.
- Keep autoattacking the large monster at the camp.
- Voidlings are positioned to swarm the large monster
If the enemies are doing a Level 1 steal, your best bet is to use your excessive range advantage on Call of the Void to whittle them down and force them away. However, if your team has abandoned you, then take the loss and just go for your other buff instead.
Malzawar on Objectives
After finishing the first clear, your usual order of operations is:
After the First Clear
- Head over to the dragon pit and kill the Dragon (50 seconds).
If you only smited twice during the first clear, you will have two Smites for dragon! Immediately use one, and the second will be ready shortly
- Recall, and swap a summoner to Teleport with Unsealed Spellbook.
- Teleport over to either the mid or top tower
- Head over to the Voidgrubs and kill them all (40 seconds)
This order is designed to try killing the objectives shortly after they spawn, setting up for more of them later.
Sometimes, depending on the state of the lane or the scuttle vision, it may be necessary to adjust the plan, delay the start, or even just abandon an attempt partway through.
You may also find that teleporting to Grubs isn't feasible. Perhaps you were slow on killing dragon, or you see a chance to gank and it has delayed your plan. That's fine, be willing to adapt to the situation! Take
Ghost with Unsealed Spellbook instead, farm up to level 6, and search for a good gank opportunity.All of this is to say that Malzahar's win condition is killing objective relentlessly, and while this is the ideal relentless scenario, it's equally important to be ready to go with the flow.
Ganks For the Memories
Ganking before level 6 is fairly tricky. Without Red Buff, it's often not worth the effort unless the enemy is particularly extended.
The most useful things to keep in mind for the ganks:
Tips for Ganks
- If possible, enter with Void Shift and 2 Swarm stacks ready.
- Call of the Void's silence will disable Flash
- It also provides vision inside bushes it is cast inside
- and its range is way longer than you think it is
- Voidlings will not chase targets they cannot see
- You will need Malefic Visions to direct Voidlings toward the target
Keep all this in mind, and it's possible to pull off an early gank. Still, be wary of spending so much time trying to gank that you lose time for objectives.
The question you should always ask yourself is: "if I gank now, what objectives can I get out of it?" If the answer is none, then consider if the resources (like Flash) are worth saving for later.
Suppressing Your Luck
Ganking with
Nether Grasp becomes a lot more feasible. You still follow the above principles, but now you have a few more things to keep in mind.
Nether Grasp Ganks
- Don't just suppress immediately. Silence first, suppress right after.
- If an ally CC's during the suppress, let go of the suppress! Then silence!
- Voidlings prioritize suppressed targets above all else
- Both Call of the Void and Nether Grasp will refresh Malefic Visions
- However, Malefic Visions is only rank 1. Silencing takes priority.
- With the ult, Malzahar is a scary counterganker. Anticipate.
Additionally, make use of
Unsealed Spellbook to accentuate the gank. Ghost paired with a Control Ward is almost a certain success.It's tempting to just gank nonstop once the ult is available, but that is not Malzahar's win condition. Their main power comes from their powerful objective control. Kills are not the end goal, they are just the method to secure objectives. Therefore, you should ideally only gank with the ultimate if there is an objective to secure immediately afterward.
Staying Objective
It is pretty normal for me to play a Malzahar Jungle match and say "Okay, I finally can jungle again for the first time in 10 minutes." If you are not in the process of taking an objective, then you should be in the process of preparing to take an objective. There should be very little downtime.
Grubby Hands
Voidgrubs are incredibly impactful if you are able to acquire them, which Malzahar is readily able to do. You should be around the entrance of the pit as soon as they spawn, as Malzahar (like most junglers) can kill the first spawn of grubs in about 40 seconds.
Make sure that you don't just enter the pit immediately, but instead get off a quick auto and have the grubs form a line, so that every
Call of the Void hits every grub every time.Due to the importance of grub control, it is fairly normal for the enemy jungler to be there to contest back. This is why you need to make good use of the scouting and harass power of
Call of the Void to secure the area. A well-placed Control Ward can also stave off the opposition.Note that the second set of Grubs are much tankier, and take a long time to get without your teammates's assistance. Thus, your team needs to be in a good position if you want to fight for the second set. If you find yourself getting outnumbered, then don't be greedy and die needlessly. Concede the grubs and move on; there will be more opportunities for objectives later.
Dragon and On and On
Malzahar's voidlings are uniquely able to tank the dragon, making it much less risky to do so than for most other junglers. It is a little on the slower side however, taking about 45 - 50 seconds alone, so it's usually only worthwhile if you can sneak it or if the enemy jungler shows their ugly face at top.
The two biggest pointers. First, keep casting Void Swarm even if it's not at max charges yet; the extra damage taken from waiting an extra second hurts much more. Second, make sure you're timing Call of the Void to reset
Malefic Visions right when it's on the cusp of expiring. Don't wait too long though, as delaying a cast by more than a second can hit your DPS.Dragons later in the match are a more nuanced affair. The ability to take them is highly dependent on how many of your teammates are available to contest it near the pit. Further, every dragon you kill adds a stacking Dragon Slayer debuff, making it harder to kill subsequent dragons. Fortunately, with
Nether Grasp, you're in a strong position to ambush a target with your allies to secure a numbers advantage.
The Rift Between Us
Rift Herald hits pretty hard when the jungler is alone. Thankfully, Malzahar is never alone. While other junglers must suffer the 50% damage debuff that Herald can apply, this is instead given to a voidling volunteer.
Notably, every one of the Voidlings' autoattacks causes the eye to open more rapidly, allowing you to proc the eye burst damage every two seconds if you're quick on your feet. You can kill the Herald in about 25 seconds if you're really skillful about it! I suggest proc'ing the eye, autoattacking once, moving far back to drop aggro, and then autoattacking again only when the eye opens.
Start off by using Call of the Void on the herald from outside the arena so the Herald initiates its charge early. Keep casting it during the fight so you can get more Swarm stacks for W. Avoid using Malefic Visions; The mana cost is too high for the low amount of damage it adds. Of course if the Herald is below the critical health range, feel free to blast away with full force.
Also, be aware of just how much absurd distance you can cross with
Eye of the Herald. I went into practice tool and found that the herald charge crosses about 40% of the whole map! That means you can hit the Tier 1 outer Mid turret all the way from your inhibitor.
Nashor You Can? Atakhan!
Both Atakhan and Baron have a special debuff; as they hit a target with basic attacks, they shred armor and magic resistance. Baron is even nastier, also reducing its targets basic attack damage by 50%. So it sure is nice that your loyal voidlings eat up those debuffs for your team!
Malzahar's primary contribution to these objectives is not damage, but safety and zoning. Throw out your Q and W primarily, saving E only when speed is of the absolute essence. While your voidlings help tank the damage for your team, keep track of the enemy positions and your mana pool.
Although always important, remember that your
Nether Grasp can outright prevent an enemy jungler from smiting. It is often wise to click R on them before they attempt to enter the pit, which will trigger R the instant they get into range.The Stage is Set
Early
In the early game, your goals are to
- Complete your first clear.
- Rush farm for level 6.
- Take grubs and the dragon.
Avoid Using Malefic Vision on Most Camps: Until later in the game,
Malefic Visions costs so much mana and deals such little damage that it's often better to just wait. The missing-mana regeneration from the jungle item will keep Malz topped off without Malefic. Though, Krugs and Raptors are still worthwhile to use Malefic on due to all the potential bouncing.Gank Wisely: Refer back to the Ganking section of the guide to get good tips for a successful gank.
Use Call of the Void to Scout: Many unscrupulous fellows will try to kill Malz in the jungle. Since Call of the Void provides such strong vision, it can be used regularly to check around bushes or corners in case of a threat.
Unsealed Spellbook has an Overwhelming Variety: For early summoners however, you should primarily be replacing Flash with
Ghost. In certain circumstances, you can consider Clarity or Teleport if either will help you set up for an objective in the near future.Cast Call of the Void While in the Fountain: As you regain mana, it's the perfect chance to get out two casts of Q to get some Swarm stacks. Always leave the base with 2 stacks ready.
Keep a Control Ward Handy: Malzahar is not as dependent on gold as many other junglers, so there is no excuse to be lacking a control ward at pretty much any point. They are the ultimate objective securer.
Mid
As the laning phase ends, the raw utility in the build shines
- Disrupt at critical moments
- Keep control wards handy
- Stick with teammates
Focus on Picks and Peel: Malzahar Jungle effectively plays like a second support, and every spell should be focused on maximizing disruption through silences, suppresses, slows, and skillshot-voidling-blocking.
Silence then Suppress: It's often preferable to start with a silence instead of ulting immediately, because a silence can always be followed into an ult but not the other way around.
Preserve Void Shift Against Monsters: At this point, Voidlings can do almost all the tanking against camps. Try to avoid taking a monster hit too quickly before a gank, or you won't have
Void Shift up in time for it.Let Voidlings Finish Off Monsters: Where possible, let the Voidlings just clean up the camp while you move onto more important things. Keep moving, no need to overkill the monsters. This skill takes practice though, and at first, you'll sometimes accidentally let Gromp live with 1 hp. Not that I'd know...
Unsealed Spellbook Continues its Usefulness: Big candidates for swapping are
Heal, Ghost, Barrier, and Clarity which are generically useful and thus can be swapped interchangeably. Teleport can also be handy to keep on standby. Largely avoid swapping to Ignite or Exhaust outside of some very specific situations.Smite Has No Unsealed Spellbook Swapping Cooldown: Normally, if you use a spell from Unsealed Spellbook, there's a 10-second lockout. So for example, if Heal is over your Flash, and you use Heal, then you can't flash for 10 seconds. But Smite is different! Smite has no 10-second lockout, meaning you can, for example, use
Clarity and then immediately use Smite without waiting 10 seconds!Enemies Cannot Use Smite While Suppressed: However, you still can! This is one of the things that makes Malzahar so good at securing objectives because they are in such a strong position to win the smite duel.
Late
In the late game, it's more of the same, but better.
- Peel for fed members on your team.
- Dance around the outskirts of teamfights.
- Cast a nonstop barrage of inhibiting spells.
- Save your flash-ult when possible for when you absolutely know that it will gain your team an inhibitor, baron, or nexus; Avoid using it just to get kills.
Don't be Afraid to Let Go of Your Ult: It's on a relatively short cooldown, and survival is more important than the extra damage. You also can let it go early if a teammate combos their own hard CC on it.
Check Regularly for QSS: If you've ulted the same person at least twice, be sure to regularly check for an incoming QSS purchase. It feels awful to ult someone, only to suddenly be punched in the face anyway. However, a QSS is not helpful against your silences since it's difficult to time, so you still have one disable on hand.
More Control Wards: Many teammates will start having trouble fitting control wards into their inventories. However, Malzahar Jungle often has ample inventory space to keep purchasing more and more.
Unsealed Spellbook Practically Replaces Smite: Any of the summoners are good at this point besides
Ignite and Cleanse, which tend to be really situational. Be careful with Exhaust however because you can't discard it on a whim.
This guide was a lot of fun to write, and I hope you all have learned everything you would have liked.
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Diamond Jungle Malzahar - The Void's Legion [25.04]
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